Water cooler for refrigerators



Jan. 28, 1936. w, SEEGER ET AL 2,028,926

WATER COOLER FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed Feb. 14, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l amnion (E Wu/bier G. Seeger Baberb s. Jfhrens Jan. 28, SEEGER 5 AL I WATER COOLER FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed Feb.' 14, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.4 32

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attozmq Jan. 28, 1936. 'w G. SEEGER ET L 2,028,926

' WATER COOLER FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed Feb. 14, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Walter G. SGGQGT ZZObGrZ S. flhrens s 'lll Patented Jan. 28, 1936 WATER COOLER FOR REFRJGERATORS Walter G. Seeger and Robert S. Ahrens, St. Paul,

Minn., assignors to Seeger Refrigerator Compatny, St. Paul, Minn. a corporation of Minneso a Application February 14, 1930, Serial No. 428,387

19 Claims. (01. 62-141) Our invention relates to an improvement in water coolers for refrigerators wherein it is desired to provide a water cooler which may be inserted or embodied in a refrigerator to provide but little space, and, if desired, forming the partition wall between the unit of a mechanical freezing system and the food compartment of the refrigerator. In addition to the features alcool water at all times when it is desired. ready mentioned, our cooler will be equipped 5 Our primary object is to provide a cooler dewith a novel means of suspension so arranged tachably secured within a refrigerator adapted that the cooler may be readily removed. to be entirely contained therein and having no These and other novel features of our invenprojections extending through the body of the tion, together with a detailed description of the same. In this manner our cooler causes no heat same, will be more fully and clearly set forth 10 transferring inlet into the refrigerator, and proin the followin Specification and Claims. vides no outside projection to sweat or drip. In the drawings forming a, part of this specifi- It is a feature that our water cooler may be cation: easily removed from the refrigerator for cleaning Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of and the like. Although it is not necessary to rea refrigerator, showing our cooler in place. 15 move the cooler frequently from its position with- Figure 2 is a perspective view of our cooler, the in the refrigerator, it becomes desirable to thorfiller pipe in extended form being illustrated in oughly cleanse the inner surface at intervals to dotted lines. remove any impurities carried into the tank by Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view longitudinalthe water. For this reason we have so designed 1y through the center of our cooler. 20 our cooler that it may be easily removed from Figure 4 is a perspective view of the rear place. fastening for the cooler tank.

It is also a feature that our cooler is adapted Figure 5 is a perspective view of the front to be filled with water without the necessity of refastening for the cooler tank.

moving the cooler. This is made possible by Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view horizontally 25 means of a special filling pipe, which may be pivthrough the fastening device illustrated in Figoted to the correct angle and drawn out or exure 5. tended out of the refrigerator, so that water may Figure 7 is a bottom view of our cooler, showbe easily poured into the funnel-like opening ing an alternate form of outlet water faucet.

forming the mouth of the filler pipe. With this Figure 8 is a s al v w t r u h a 30 structure no water need be spilled in filling the portion of the front and base of our cooler, ilcooler, as the mouth provides a sizable opening lustrating another alternate form of water disinto which the water may be poured. charging faucet.

It is an added feature of our invention that Our cooler is adapted to be positioned within the water held within our cooler may be poured the body of a refrigerator, and in Figure 1 it is 5 or drained out without the need of placing the illustrated as forming the partition between the receptacle into which the water is to flow inside freezing unit B and the refrigerator food comthe refrigerator, or of removing the cooler from partment C. place. The cooled water is emptied by means The cooler tank I0 is manufactured of light of an especially arranged faucet which is auto metal in preferred form, and is long and nar- 40 matically opened as the faucet swings into posirow, in order not to occupy much space within tion for pouring. Thus our cooler is provided the refrigerator D. In ordinary construction it with conveniences which make it easy to operis desirable to enamel or plate the metal so that ate, and mark it as a valuable accessory for any it will blend well with the furnishings of the rerefrigerator. frigerator, or it may be made of metal which 45 It is our object to provide a means of indicating may be polished to present an attractive appear the amount of water held within the cooler, so ance. Upon the top of the tank, to close the that the operator may be able to ascertain at a opening thereof, we provide a cover ll having glance whether the cooler is full or empty, or to flanges l2 extending down over the sides of the determine approximately how much water is held tank Hi to hold the cover in place on the tank. 50 within our cooler at any time. If this indicator An elbow I3, having a circumferential flange I4 is watched, the cooler may never be filled to near one end thereof, and having the end l5 adoverflowing, or need never be allowed to run dry. jacent this flange threaded, is inserted through a A cooler built in accordance with our invenhole formed in the cover II, and is attached setion will fit easily into the refrigerator, taking curely to the cover H by means of a nut I6. 55

Gaskets ll between the flange l4 and the cover I I, and between the nut l6 and the cover ll, insure a tight joint at all times, and prevent the elbow l3 from coming loose upon the cover II, and allowing the elbow 13 to pivot upon the cover II. The other end of the elbow I3 is extended to form a tubular member l8 or pipe. Within the pipe 18 is fitted a second tubular member 19, which is provided with a funnel or cup-shaped end 20 into which the water to be cooled is poured. The pipe I9 is sumciently small to flt snugly within the pipe l8 so that it may be slid into or out of the pipe l8, and the two pipes flt snugly enough to prevent accidental slipping and to provide a joint which is watertight. By means of this structure, the pipe l3 may be slid out until the cup-shaped end 2|! or mouth of the pipe is clear of the front of the refrigerator, where water may be readily poured into it without the danger of spilling the same, and without obstruction and inconvenience.

Near one end of the cover H, we provide a slot 22 through which the indicating means is adapted to extend. On either side of this slot 22 we form a downwardly projecting lug 23 or flange, and pivotally connected to these lugs 23 at the point 24 we attach the indicating means. This indicating means consists of a light metal arm 25, which extends on one end through the slot 22, and the other end is secured to a float 26. The float 26 is adapted to ride on the surface of the water, and the portion 21 of the arm extending through the top of the cooler indicates the amount of water within the cooler, as when the water level is low the indicator arm 21 is at one end of the slot 22, and when the tank is nearly full of water, the indicator nears the other end of the slot 22.

In order that the cooler A may be easily detached and removed from the refrigerator, we have devised a supporting device which will allow us to accomplish this aim. In order to support the cooler tank, we position a bracket adapted to be secured at each end of the cooler tank. If the cooler is placed within the refrigerator D in the position illustrated in the drawings, one bracket 28 is secured to the rear wall of the same, and the other bracket 29 is attached to the portion 3|] of the refrigerator forming the door casing.

The bracket 23 is formed of a single plate, having flanges 32 along each edge thereof properly spaced to allow the end of the cooler tank Hi to be inserted between them in such a manner that the end on the cooler is held virtually against movement either horizontally or vertically. The

flanges 32 are placed sufficiently far apart that the end portion of the cover I I may be held beneath the upper flange, preventing the removal of the cover I I when the cooler tank It is in position within the refrigerator.

The bracket 29 is more involved, and is so arranged that the shelf hooks 33 for supporting the wire shelves 3| within the food compartment C may be attached thereto. The bracket 29 may also be formed of a single piece of metal, and is provided with a false end 34 to the side 35 of which are secured the shelf hooks 33. Adjacent the false end 34, which is merely a closed rectangular box-like structure provided for the express purpose of forming an attaching plate for the shelf hooks 33, we provide flanges 36 extending from three edges of the rear wall 31 of the false end 34. One side is not provided with a flange 36 but is left open, so that the end of the cooler may be swung into place within the bracket 29. A

pair of spring clips 38 are attached to the top and bottom flanges 36 and down over the open side, so that when the end of the cooler is swung into position, the spring clips 38 will snap into place and hold the cooler until it is desired to remove the same from the refrigerator D. The formation of this element is believed clearly illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. The rear plate or wall 31 prevents the cooler I 0 from sliding forward into the bracket 29 farther than is desirable.

In order that it will not be necessary to place the receptacle into which the cooled water is to flow within the refrigerator D- beneath the cooling tank l0, and so that it will not be necessary to remove the cooler from place in order to drain the water therefrom, we place an automatic faucet 39 near the bottom of the cooling tank and adjacent the front of the same which, when swung into operating position, will automatically start the flow of the liquid through the same. This automatic faucet is not novel, and accordingly is not shown in detail. A hollow shaft, the bore of which is connected with the faucet opening, is secured to the end of the faucet outlet, and projects through the side of the cooler tank I 0. The end of the hollow shaft projecting within the tank is encased within a thimble-like casing. A hole in the side of the hollow shaft coincides with a hole in the casing when the faucet is swung into operating position, allowing the water within the tank ill to flow through the hollow shaft, out the faucet outlet, and into the receptacle.

In the event that the construction of the refrigerator will not permit the faucet to be placed on the side of the tank, we may form the faucet in the manner illustrated in Figure '7, placing the same through the bottom of the tank rather than through the side. In this modification, the faucet is bent into an L-shape to avoid striking the door casing 30 of the refrigerator D. In either case the operation of the faucet is the same.

If another means of supporting the cooling tank is adapted in other forms of refrigerators where there is no door casing 30 to which to secure the front of the cooler, we may form our outlet faucet in the manner illustrated in Figure 8. This form of faucet is constructed of a pair of tubular members 42 and 43, one member 43 being slidable within the other tube 42. of these tubes is closed, and the other end of the outer tube 42 is secured to the end wall of the tank I0 by means of the nut 44 which forces the front wall of the tank tightly against a circumferential flange 45 of the tube 42. Leakage is prevented by means of gaskets 46. The other end of the inner tube 43 forms the water outlet. A hole 41 in the tube 43 near the closed end of the same is adapted to coincide with a hole 48 in the tube 42 when the tube 43 is slid out partially or extended, so that when the tube 43 is pulled out into operating position, the water is allowed to flow through the coinciding holes 41 and 48, and through the tube 43 to the outlet.

The operation of filling the cooler, and drawing the water therefrom has been described hereinbefore, and it is not believed necessary to explain these actions more fully. The cooler I0 is inserted into the refrigerator in the following manner. The top II is placed in position covering the cooling tank, and the tank and cover are then inserted into the refrigerator, the rear end of the cooler being placed into the bracket 28, which is secured to the rear wall of the refrigera- One end of both cooler is then swung into the bracket 29, and is held in this position by the spring clips 38.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the features and principles of operation of our cooler, and while we have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that this is only suggestive of a means of carrying out our invention and that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. A water cooler for refrigerators including, a partition-like water tank, an adjustable drain faucet having means for closing the same automatically when the faucet is turned to a position within the refrigerator, and to drain water out of said cooler when the discharge opening of the faucet is moved to a position outside of the refrigerator, and an adjustable filling tube movable to a position outside 01. the refrigerator to permit easy filling of said cooler.

2. A water cooler partition for refrigerators, means for holding said partition removable in the refrigerator adjacent the cooling unit of the refrigerator, a drain faucet having means to be turned to a position entirely within the refrigerator and when turned in position to project out of the refrigerator cold water may be discharged therefrom, a water level indicator, and an adjust able water filling means to permit said cooler partition to be filled with water without removing the same and from a point outside of the refrigerator.

3. A water cooling partition for refrigerators, means for removably supporting the same, an adjustable drain faucet for said partition normally positioned entirely within the refrigerator, an adjustable and extensible filler connector normally positioned within the refrigerator angl level indicator.

compartment partition for refrigerators, means for removably supporting the same, a drain faucet, and a filling tube secured to said compartment, each normally enclosed within the refrigerator and having means for adjustment to permit draining of water and filling of the partition from a point without the refrigerator.

5. A removable water partition for refrigerators, a drain and filling means normally enclosed within the refrigerator and adjustable to drain and fill said partition with water from a point without the refrigerator.

6. A partition water tank for a refrigerator including, a fiat body portion having a water compartment formed therein, a drain faucet movable to extend out of said refrigerator, and an extensible and contractible filling member on the top thereof. 7

7. A water cooler for refrigerators including, a hollow body portion, a removable top for said body portion, a filler member, a drain faucet, and bracket means in the refrigerator for supporting said body portion and for holding said cover against removal from said body portion.

8. A removable water cooler partition for refrigerators including, a fiat narrow tank for storing water within the refrigerator to cool the same, said cooler partition being positioned between the cooling unit in the refrigerator and. the food compartments, an adjustable drain faucet movable to extend outside of the refrigerator, and an adjustable water inlet secured to said water cooler and movable into position outside of the refrigerator.

9. A cooling tank for liquid within a refrigerator, drain and filling means adjustably supported by said tank to permit the filling and draining of the tank from a point without the refrigerator without removing the tank and to 5 entirely conceal said tank and the drain and filling means therefor within the refrigerator when it is closed without shifting said tank.

10. A refrigerator cabinet having a storage compartment, a door for said compartment, a water tank positioned within said compartment, a filler pipe pivotally connected to an upper part of the tank and being so mounted that it can be moved partially through the door opening into a position externally of the tank, and an outlet pipe pivotally connected to the lower part of the tank and also so mounted that it can be moved partially through the doorway into a position externally of the tank, whereby the tank within the refrigerator may be filled with water and water drained therefrom at points externally of the cabinet.

11. A refrigerator cabinet having a storage compartment, a door for the cabinet, cooling means within the refrigerator, an open top water tank between the cooling means and the storage space and serving as a baflie between such means and space, a removable cover for the top of the tank, and means for so supporting the tank in the refrigerator that it can be readily removed through the door and the top removed, for cleaning and other purposes.

12. A refrigerator cabinet having a storage compartment, a door for said compartment, a water tank position within said compartment, a filler pipe operatively associated with an upper part of the tank and mounted so that it is adapted to extend to the exterior of the refrigerator, and an outlet pipe pivotally connected to a lower part of the tank and so mounted that it can be moved partially through the doorway into a position externally of the cabinet, whereby the tank within the refrigerator may be filled with water and the water drained therefrom at points externally of the cabinet.

13. A refrigerator cabinet having a storage compartment, a door for said compartment, a water tank positioned within said compartment, a filler pipe operatively associated with an upper part of the tank and accessible through the door opening, and an outlet pipe pivotally connected to a lower part of the tank and so mounted that it can be moved partially through the doorway into a position externally of the cabinet, whereby the tank within the refrigerator may be filled with water and water drained therefrom through the instrumentality of the door opening.

14. A refrigerator construction including, a stationary front member, a water cooler including a hollow body portion, a filler member, a drain faucet, and a pair of brackets one of which is secured to said stationary front member and the other of which is secured to the back wall of the refrigerator for removably enclosing the ends of said body portion, one of said brackets including spring clips for holding one end of said body portion in said bracket.

15. A refrigerator comprising, a cabinet having a storage compartment, 2. water cooling tank in said compartment forming a baflle for directing the circulation of air therein, a door in said compartment, an outlet pipe communicating with said tank, a filling pipe pivotally mounted on and communicating with said tank, and an inlet on the free end of said filling pipe normally located 75 within said cabinet, said inlet being swingable externally of said cabinet when said door is open.

16. In a refrigerator cabinet, in combination, a cooling compartment, a door for said compartment, a drinking water receptacle fixedly supported in said cooling compartment, and a filling spout for said tank pivoted thereto at one end, the other end of said spout being swingable to a position exterior to said cabinet when said door is in open position and being normally positioned within said cabinet when said door is closed.

17. A refrigerator cabinet having a storage compartment, 2. door for said compartment, a water tank positioned within said compartment, a pipe connected to the water tank and pivotal through the door opening when the door is open, said pipe being so positioned and related to the door opening when the pipe has been swung into such opening that upon closing the door the pipe will swing into the storage space and not jamb the door in the closing movement of the latter.

18. A removable water partition for refrigerators including, a drain means normally enclosed within the refrigerator and adjustable to drain said partition within the refrigerator of water from a point without the refrigerator.

19. A removable water partition for refrigerators including, means removably securing said partition within a refrigerator, a filling means normally enclosed within the refrigerator and adjustable to fill said partition with water from a point without the refrigerator.

WALTER G. SEEGER. ROBERT S. AHRENS. 

